|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS
E-Newsletter
Vol.2 No.27
July 3, 2000
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net
Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.
1) JOINT
INTER-RELIGIOUS HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENT PROTECT
ALL PEOPLE'S LIVES IN MALUKU
We, the undersigned organisations, deplore the ongoing
violence in Maluku, which is estimated to have claimed at least
2,500, and probably up to 4,000 lives in the past 18 months. In
one small village in one single day (June 19 2000), 173
people were killed, 200 wounded and 300 homes burnt. Thousands
of people have been forced to leave their homes. The
violence is currently escalating towards complete social chaos
with the potential for civil war flowing into neighbouring
islands and provinces in Indonesia.
We are deeply concerned for the safety and security of each
and every person in Maluku, regardless of ethnic or religious
background. We are particularly concerned for the welfare of
women, children and the aged who have been caught in the
violence. We re-affirm that all human beings should be
afforded their basic rights, especially the right to life
and security.
We note that the Indonesian security forces are incapable of
halting the escalating violence. The Deputy Chief of
Ambon's Riot Police Unit has been killed and the police quarters
have been ransacked and burnt and the weapons stolen. Indonesian
Defence Minister Sudarsono and Air Marshall Graito have
both made public statements acknowledging the inability of the
security forces to stop the killings and destruction of property.
We deplore the breakdown in security that has enabled tensions
to turn into uncontested bloodshed. We are frustrated by the
inability of security forces to control the violence, and have
heard many testimonies stating that some security force personnel
are fuelling and contributing to the communal violence.
Despite also receiving this information and numerous pleas for
intervention, the international community, notably the United
Nations (UN) and the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN), has remained virtually silent on this issue. We see a
clear role for the UN and ASEAN in putting an end to the
bloodshed, protecting those in danger and preventing the violence
from spreading further. This role is intrinsically linked to the
role of the Indonesian government and can be assisted by
the Indonesian Human Rights Commission. We urge these parties, in
the name of universal human rights, to take immediate action
along the following lines:
UNITED NATIONS
- With the permission of the Indonesian government, provide
and install a neutral peace-keeping force to stop the
conflict and
provide security for all persons
- Disarm persons using weapons to promote the conflict
- Provide for the safety of the victims of this violence through
evacuation, establishment of safe camps, or other means and
provide humanitarian relief and safety for internally displaced
persons (UNHCR cooperating with ICRC)
ASEAN
- Engage in dialogue with the Indonesian government and the
UN to enable the rapid deployment of peace-keepers
- Make available security personnel and resources from neutral
countries for peace-keeping operations
- Begin strategic planning to prevent communal violence spreading
through the region
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT
- Request external assistance to end the conflict
- Provide for safe and speedy evacuation of those whose lives are
in danger
- Advise international groups on strategies for deployment of
peace- keepers
- Act decisively to prevent communal violence from spreading to
other nearby provinces
INDONESIAN NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
- Send a Peace Mission to the area in an attempt to prevent
further human rights abuses and enter into dialogue with the
various fighting groups and individuals.
SIGNATORIES: ( Please note that we have not included here the
names of the signatories to the statement which we hope to issue
by coming Wednesday. Interested parties could still contact us
for their endorsement).
Asian Human Rights Commission
UPDATE: The news just received speaks of ten persons rescued
from the ferry that sank in the rough seas on Thursday carrying
about five hundred Christians fleeing the troubled area
of Halmahera in Malucu
2)
Experts Face Grim Numbers From UNAIDS Report
The African Governments are Spending Four Times MORE on
DEBT SERVICING Than They Do on Health and Education
The Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) indicated that AIDS has
moved from a public health issue to a "crisis that threatens
to rip apart the entire fabric of society" in southern
Africa, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
The report was released as AIDS experts are preparing for the
13th International AIDS conference, scheduled to open 9 July in
Durban, South Africa. The report underscores the disproportionate
impact the disease is having on sub-Saharan Africa, which has 10%
of the world's population but 71% of its 34.3 million HIV cases
(Huntly Collins, Philadelphia Inquirer, 28 Jun). At the report's
release yesterday, UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot noted a
chilling statistic:
"The probability that you die from AIDS when you are 15
today is over 50% in some countries" (BBC Online, 28 Jun).
Piot said the money must come from a variety of sources including
African governments, donor countries and the World Bank. He also
said African governments are spending four times more on debt
servicing than they do on health and education. "It's time
to make the connection between debt relief and epidemic
relief," he added (Collins, Philadelphia Inquirer).
3)
COPENHAGEN+5: Poverty Conference Opens In Geneva
Persons living on less than 1 dollar a day has increased from
1billion to 1.2 billion over the last five years. National
leaders said today that UN member states have failed in their
promise to lift out of poverty the 3 billion people worldwide who
live on less than a day (Associated Press, 26 Jun). They were
speaking at the opening day of this week's UN General Assembly
special session in Geneva to review and assess the implementation
of the 1995 Copenhagen Summit on Social Development. The summit,
which will consider new initiatives for implementing the goals of
the Copenhagen conference, concludes Friday (UN Wire, 23
Jun).
Delegations were given UN reports showing that the number
living in absolute poverty-on less than a day-has grown in the
past five years from 1 billion to 1.2 billion. "Our
commitments have not been fulfilled," said Danish Prime
Minister Poul Rasmussen in his keynote speech to the assembly.
"That is a sad fact. We could have done better, much
better" (AP).
4) CAMBODIA LICARDHO, the human
rights group in Cambodia speaks of the
traumatic experience of the sex workers.
The report identifies brothels as "probably the
fastest-growing forum for torture in Cambodia". According to
the report in the
police protected sex trade the abducted young women are routinely
beaten, drugged and forced to serve the customers
5)
The Earth Charter Initiative -- A charter containing 16
main principles for sustainable
development will be presented to Queen
Beatrix of The Netherlands today (29th June 2000"The
Earth Charter is uch more than a document about the
environment,"
Rockefeller said.
"It has been constructed with the understanding that
humanity's environmental, social and economic problems are
interrelated and can only be effectively addressed with
integrated global solutions."
The first four guiding principles are:
- Respect earth and life in all its diversity;
- Care for the community of life with understanding, compassion
and love;
- Build democratic societies that are just, participatory,
sustainable and peaceful;
- and Secure Earth's bounty and beauty for present and future
generations
(Earth Charter Initiative release, 29 Jun).
6) News in brief:
INDIA
a) Attacks on minorities: The places of worship of minorities
in certain states, particularly in Andra Pradesh and
Karnataka have been the target of attacks and the latest
reports speak of a bomb exploding in a mosque in Guntur.
b) Autonomy Proposals adopted by the Kashmir legislative
Council: The motion was passed to return the State to 1953
status, when Kashmir enjoyed its autonomy, separate constitution
and flag. The reaction to this development
7)
REMINDER ; HIROSHIMA DAY - 6 AUGUST : A DAY OF PRAYER
- For the victims of all nuclear accidents.
- For the ratification of CTBT and the NPT
- For the adoption of measures to prevent break-out,
nuclear theft and nuclear
terrorism/criminality
- For opposing the production, testing, and the use of
weapons of mass destruction.
Posted on 2000-07-03
remarks:1 |
